Combined pencil holder and sharpener.



No. 63l,834. Patented Aug. 29, I899, J. R. VESTAL. COMBINED PENCILHOLDER AND SHARPENER.

(Application filed Mar. 21, 1899.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. VESTAL, OF WALNUT GROVE, MISSOURI.

COMBINED PENCIL HOLDER AND SHARPENER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 631,834, dated August29, 1899.

Application filed March 21, 1899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs R. VESTAL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Walnut Grove, in the county of Greene and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined PencilHolder and Sharpener; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to combined pencil holders and sharpeners,and hasfor its objects the provision of an improved device of this characterand particularly to provide novel means for gaging the cut made by theknife and protecting the knife itself when not in use and securing thepencil.

Having the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consistsof certain improved features and novel combinations of parts, fully setforth in the accompanying description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing the shieldor guard swung aside; Fig. 2, a plan View taken opposite to Fig. 1, theguard being swung aside; Fig. 3, a side view with the guard closed; Fig.4, a perspective, with the shield or guard swung aside, of a modifiedconstruction; Fig. 5, a detail View of the gage and knife of the formshown in Fig. 4; Figs. 6 and 7, top and bottom perspectives of amodified construction in which no shield is employed, and Figs. 8 and 9views of another modification, in which the shield is omitted.

Reference being had to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the numeral 1 represents ametallic sleeve which is adapted to receive and hold the pencil. A stripof steel is secured by soldering, riveting,or otherwise to the side ofthe sleeve, where it is formed into a clip 2, which constitutes a meansfor attaching the device to the pocket of a garment when it is to beused as a pencil-holder simply. The other portion of the strip isextended beyond the end of the sleeve and bent into an inclined knife 3,having the beveled and inclined cutting edge 4,

the inclination of the knife and its edge being such that a proper taperwill be put onto the pencil when being sharpened. The inclination of theknife and its resiliency cause it to Serial No. 709,975. (No model.)

bear sufiiciently hard on the pencil to insure the proper retention ofthe latter in the sleeve when it is located therein, so that the devicemay serve as a holder. I employ a gage to prevent the knife from diggingtoo deep into the pencil during sharpening, and thus overcome a veryserious defect heretofore incident to pencil-sharpeners of this class.This gage consists of a rectangular piece of metal 5, having itsopposite longitudinal edges turned over to form lips 6 and 7.

The lip 7 and a portion of the gage is cut out at 8 to provide anopening through which the chips cut from the pencil can pass withoutobstruction. The lip 6 is flattened at 9 below the plane of the cuttingedge of the knife, so that the latter can operate on the pencil, andalso provides a shoulder or abutment 10 to limit the distance the gagecan be forced on the knife when being placed thereon. This gage is heldin position by friction and is removable, so that sharpening of theknife can be had when necessary.

The numeral 11 designates a shield or guard consisting of a single stripof metal doubled back on itself and having its ends pivoted to the knifeon opposite sides thereof at 12. When the device is to be used asaholder, this shield or guard is swung over the knife and gage toprotect and keep them from contact with the pencil.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the gage differs from thatshown in the preceding views by having the cut-out portion 8 extend tothe extreme end, and the guard is formed in a single straight piecehaving end and side flanges 13, which after the guard has been sprung inprotecting position prevent its movement.

The modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 has a knife a portion of whosecutting edge is inclined at 4: half-way across its width and is cut awaylongitudinally, forming the cutting edge. The gage is of the sameconstruction as that shown in Figs. 4E and 5, whereby the narrow spacelet is defined through which the chips taken from the pencil pass.

In Figs. 8 and 9 thecutting edge 15 is at the end of the knife andextends straight across it without any inclination. The gage has theoppositely-disposed lips, as before, which terminate some distanceinwardly from the end of the knife, and the end of the gage is cut outat 16, leaving suflicient space for the free passage of the shavings.

In all the forms except that shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the pencil isrevolved in the holder or sleeve with its end against the knife to accomplish sharpening. In the form shown in the above-mentioned figuresthe pencil is reciprocated within the holder to sharpen it. The gagesare of the greatest importance, as they prevent the knife from cuttingtoo deep into the pencil and insure an even out of proper depth. Whenthe knife becomes dull, the gage can be readily removed to permitsharpening.

The sleeve-retaining action of the knife and the clip make the deviceWell adapted for use as a holder for securing the pencil to the garment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a pencil-holding sleeve, of a single strip ofmetal secured intermediate its ends to the sleeve and having one endbent into a clip adapted for securing the device to the garment, and itsother end extended beyond the end of the sleeve and formed into aresilient knife and positioned to trim the pencil when it is moved inthe holder and for retaining it in the sleeve when not being sharpened.

2. The combination with a pencil-holder and adapted to hold the pencilwhile being sharpened, of aknife connected thereto, and a gage forregulating the cut made by the knife.

3. The combination with a pencil-holder, of a knife connected, theretoand positioned to trim the pencil when it is moved in the holder, and aremovable gage secured on the knife which is adapted to regulate the cutmade, thereby.

l. The combination with a pencil-holder,

of a knife secured, thereto and positioned to trim the pencil when it ismoved in the holder,

' and a gagesecured to the knife which has a posed adjacent the cuttingedge of the knife.

6. The combination with a pencil-holder, of a knife secured, thereto andpositioned to trim the pencil when it is moved in the holder, and a gagehaving lips which receive the edges of the knife, one of said lipsbeingpinched or flattened to form an abutment for a portion of the knifeto prevent the'gage from being displaced beyond its proper position onthe knife.

7. The combination with "a pencil-holder,

of a knife secured, thereto and positioned to trim the pencil when it ismoved in the holder, and a movable guard adapted to be closed over theknife to house and protect it.

8. The combination with a pencil-holder, of a knifesecured thereto andpositioned to trim the pencil when it is moved in the holder, and aguard pivotedto the knife and adapted to be swung over it to house andprotect the same.

9. The combination with a pencil-holder, of a knife secured thereto, anda guard having two parts lying on opposite sides of the knife andpivoted thereto, and adapted to be swung over the knife to house andprotect it.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J AHES' R..VESTAL. Witnesses:

A. H. .IULEAN, W. M. DAVIS.

